The mission of Writers in the Schools (WITS) is to engage children in the joy and power of reading and writing. It brings innovative, specialized creative writing education to school, hospital, and community classrooms by fostering collaboration between teachers and talented professional writers, transforming literacy for 52,000 students each year.
For families, WITS offers free creative writing workshops at Discovery Green every Saturday morning, youth writing workshops and open mics, and the Young Writers Reading Series every spring, where the community can hear poems and stories from Houston students.
Community members can support WITS by attending any of the free public readings, such as the Space City Slam Series or the Young Writers Reading Series, featuring the voices of Houston students.
Donors can contribute to the annual fund or attend The Illuminated Forest, the 10th anniversary gala celebration. Parents can contact WITS to learn how to get a WITS program in their child's school.
WITS provides two free leadership opportunities for youth:
- The Houston Youth Poet Laureate program, a civic leadership position in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Houston Public Library
- The Space City Slam Series, Houston's only free city-wide youth performance poetry competition. The top six winners become the Meta-Four Houston youth slam team. WITS has become synonymous with National Poetry Month, showcasing the voices of young poets through its Poem-a-Day Initiative on the WITS blog, social media, and radio stations.